Hidden Connections
by GorimJr
Summary: Peter and Olivia finally take a chance, only to have a new case threaten to tear them apart before they even have a chance. With Peter's life at stake, Olivia wakes up Nick Lane, and seeks out more of the haunted children who received the drug Cortexiphan
1. Chapter 1

**My computer's going to possibly be taken, so I'm posting this all in one quick go. If you like it, root for me as I attempt to write the whole sequel in one three day weekend! Or pray that that possible B in history brings my grade from an 87 to a 90.**

**This story went from being a cute P/O oneshot to a full-fledged story in a few days. It was really cool. XD I hope you enjoy.  
**

"Hey, Olivia," Peter said. "I've got a question for you."

Olivia looked up from the body she was examining with Walter. "Can it wait?" She asked, nodding towards the skinned body.

"Well, no. Because if you say yes, you'll need to be ready tonight." Peter said. "I hooked you up with a blind date." Olivia's eyebrows shot up and Walter turned to stare at Peter in betrayed shock.

"Peter, we had a discussion about this!" The old man wailed. "You and Olivia were going to get married and have two children!"

"No. Walter, you talked to yourself while I listened to my iPod." Peter said pointedly. "Well, Dunham?" Olivia considered it.

"When is it?" She asked.

"7:00. At Javu." Peter said. "I think you're gonna like him. He's a catch."

"Well, why don't you go out with him?" Astrid asked with a grin, nudging Peter in the ribs.

"I did, but it didn't work out," Peter said soberly. "Is that a yes, Olivia?"

"I suppose," Olivia said slowly. "Is it fancy?"

"Tie and jacket required."

Olivia sighed. "I guess. I do need to get out more," she said, looking at the body sullenly, suddenly jealous of the fact that the man no longer had to worry about having a life. Peter nodded.

"He'll be delighted," he said with a grin. Olivia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you alright?" She asked slowly.

"Fine."

--

Javu was really fancy, and Olivia felt extremely uncomfortable. It'd been a very long time since she'd been on a date, and so the whole thing made her feel a bit queasy.

"Um, excuse me," Olivia said to the greeter. "Is there a man waiting for a date?"

"Yes, he just got here," the greeter said cheerfully, leading Olivia into the restaurant.

Javu was the kind of place where there was real cloth napkins and table cloths. Olivia followed the greeter towards a table with a man sitting so his face was hidden behind the menu.

"He's cute," the greeter assured Olivia as they approached. Olivia smiled uncertainly.

"Really?" She asked, not really interested.

"Yeah," the greeter said. "Totally gorgeous." And with that, she left. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me? Are you a friend of Peter?" She asked. The man let the menu drop and beamed at her.

"Why, yes." Peter said cheerfully. "Yes, I am." Olivia stared at him, totally confused at to what her reaction was supposed to be. Laugh? Get angry? Kick off the heels and run like hell?

To his credit, Peter had gone all out with his look. He was wearing a very nice dress suit, with a dark gray tie and everything. Olivia, much to her sister's approval, had done her best to look good as well, opting for a long, red satin dress. She'd even allowed Rachel to do her make up and hair, and had gone so far as grudgingly allowing Rachel to do her nails as well. It was almost worth it to see Peter look at her appreciatively. "Wow, Liv. You look great! Sit down, and try the duck. It's great here." Almost. But not quite. Olivia sat, rage boiling up as she stared at him. He looked so smug as he read the menu, a small smile on his face.

He must have felt her glare, because he looked up and the smile disappeared. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?!" Olivia snapped. "Are you making fun of me?!" Peter stared, aghast.

"Of course not!" He said. "What made you think that?"

"'Blind date' my ass!" Olivia snarled. "You think this is funny?"

"No," Peter said, frowning. "I don't."

"Why did you bring me here?" Olivia snapped. "Rubbing it in my face that I'm desperate enough to go on a blind date?"

"No…" Peter said, looking everywhere but her. "Just…"

"Just what?" Olivia snapped.

"I didn't think you'd go with me if I asked," he said sheepishly. Olivia stared at him, effectively stunned into silence, as the waiter came up.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" He asked. Peter sighed.

"Scotch on the rocks," he said glumly. "You can leave if you want, Liv." Olivia slammed her hand flat on the table, causing Peter, the waiter, and the surrounding patrons to jump.

"I'll have what he's having," she said firmly. The waiter nodded and hurried off.

"You're staying?" Peter asked cheerfully. "Great."

"Peter, this is never going to work," Olivia said quietly. "We work together; it'd be too weird." Peter laughed.

"Oh, come on! Weird is our prerogative!" He said, his vigor back. Olivia smiled.

"Our friendship wouldn't make it." She said. Peter smiled.

"Sure it would. We'd just kiss more often," he said mischievously. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Broyles would kill us," she said lamely. Peter laughed again, making Olivia's stomach do a little flip flop.

"That's your worst reason yet," he teased. "Come on. Give me a chance." The waiter came back and poured their scotch. "My treat." Olivia watched the glasses fill, her mouth twisting into a look of indecision. Peter took her silence as agreement, and turned to the waiter.

"We'll have the duck."

--

Two hours later, Olivia and Peter stumbled into Peter's apartment, kissing furiously.

"This is never going to happen again," Olivia said breathlessly as she pulled off Peter's tie.

"Never," Peter agreed, nuzzling her neck.

"Just this one time. To get it out of the way." Olivia gasped, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Right, right," Peter said a bit more impatiently as he fumbled with the zipper of her dress.

"I'm serious, Peter." Olivia said. Peter drew back and looked at her seriously before smirking.

"We'll see, Dunham."


	2. Chapter 2

**Peter always seemed to me like the kind of person who'd make his girlfriend breakfast. I dunno why. **

Olivia woke up to see Peter watching her sleep fondly.

"I don't know whether to be touched or creeped out," Olivia said softly, smiling.

"Go with touched," Peter advised, smiling back. "It'll make things less awkward when I make you breakfast." Olivia smiled.

"What about Walter?"

"He sleeps until noon, most days," Peter said confidently. "Like rock. And his room's off to the side, so he won't hear or smell anything." Olivia sat up, still grinning.

"What were you thinking?"

"Bacon, eggs. Maybe pancakes, if you're up to it." Peter said. "I make a mean chocolate chip pancake." Olivia laughed.

"I'm up to it," she assured him. Peter smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before getting up and walking out of the room.

Olivia sighed and stretched, filled with a wonderful weariness. Last night had been a rarity of sorts, since she hadn't had much time or motivation to go out and actually do something with someone. But the date with Peter had been remarkably easy.

He hadn't been different. He was still the same person. But the way she saw him changed with the setting and mood. Sarcasm became wit, little kindnesses stuck out more. Instead of seeing him as a colleague, she saw him as her date. And that really changed things.

She reacted to his advances (which had been endearingly gentlemanly, considering how strong he could have come on) the way she would have a date. Which brought her here, in Peter's bed, with her clothes on Peter's floor, getting ready to eat food made by Peter, with Peter.

And she was happy.

She got up and frowned slightly. All she had was her dress, and that didn't seem like a good thing to wear to breakfast. The only shoes she had were the sling-back heels, which she officially loathed and had noted the previous evening to never wear again. Hesitantly, she went over to Peter's drawers.

The room was rather small, and a bit barren, with a bed, nightstand, and drawers, and not much else. The nightstand had a clock on it, the numbers showing that it was 8:30 a.m. A bit later than she usually got up, but oh well.

She opened the drawers, and immediately closed his underwear drawer, blushing furiously. Then she felt a bit stupid. She'd seen him naked, but seeing his underwear made her embarrassed.

She opened the next door and self-consciously pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Retrieving her underwear from the floor, she got dressed and went out into the hall and into the kitchen, the delicious smell of food slammed into her. She stood there in Peter's clothes, soaking in the smell, as Peter tended to bacon and eggs. He turned and looked a bit surprised to see Olivia in his clothes. Then he smiled.

"Aww," he said. "You look cute."

"In your clothes?" She asked archly. He winked.

"Yup. Very cute." Peter put some of the pancakes on a plate and handed it to her. "Butter and syrup on the table. Bacon's almost ready.

"Thanks," Olivia said, sitting down at the table and looking around. The house was spacious and well-furnished, with bookshelves and warm colors. The kitchen was very nice, and on the whole, the place seemed clean and well-kept.

Olivia put butter on the pancakes and watched Peter make the bacon, wearing a thin white t-shirt and sweatpants. She dumped some syrup on the pancakes and absently put a bite into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she turned to stare at the unassuming things.

"Oh my god," she said, her mouth full. "This is probably the best thing I've ever eaten." Peter laughed. "This _is_ the best thing I've ever eaten."

Peter piled the bacon onto a plate and fixed his own plate, grinning. "I try," he said, sitting down. "So." He looked at her as he put syrup onto the pancakes. "We should do this again sometime." Olivia laughed.

"Peter, I said last night. It was a one time thing." She said firmly, snatching some bacon from the plate. "Real bacon?"

"Of course," Peter scoffed. "But seriously. We're great together. It'd be such a waste not to be an item." Olivia chuckled and dipped her bacon in syrup.

"Peter, how long do you think it'd last?" She asked. "A few weeks? A month? It'd get weird, one of us would break it off, and then it'd get even weirder. And everyone would make a big deal about it when we tell them we're together and an even bigger deal if we break it off."

"We don't have to tell people," Peter said slyly. "It can be a secret until we're sure it'll work. Incognito." Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Incognito dating?" She asked skeptically. Peter grinned.

"Sure." He said firmly. "You can say… you're going to do laundry or something." Olivia smirked.

"Laundry? Hmm? Is that your new nickname?" She asked. Peter laughed.

"Nice. So we're on?" He asked. Olivia smiled and held out a piece of bacon. Peter leaned over and took a bite.

"Yeah." She said, eating the rest of it. They smiled at each other, and then jumped when a sound came from the stairs.

"Oh shi-" Peter jumped up with Olivia. "How are we supposed to explain this?"

"I'm gonna go!" Olivia whispered. Peter nodded and ran over to the door. He held it open for her, and closed it when she was out of sight.

"Peter?" Walter called, tottering into the kitchen. "Do I smell breakfast?"

"As a matter of fact, you do Walter." Peter said smoothly.

"Oo! Is this one mine?" Water sat where Olivia had been sitting. "Oh, Peter, you make the best pancakes ever!" Peter smiled. "Did… Someone already eat this?" Walter looked up at Peter quizzically. Peter quickly changed the subject.

"What are you doing up so early, Walter?" He asked.

"I smelled your delicious food, Son," his father said cheerfully, taking a bite of the food. "Oh, so yummy. And real bacon! What's the special occasion?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just felt like going the extra mile." Peter said.

"Really?" Walter asked, smiling somewhat mischievously. "Because I saw a dress on the floor of your room." Walter grinned as Peter slowly turned red. "I see I'm right. You had a lady friend over, didn't you?"

"Shut up," his son said awkwardly.

"Was it good?" Walter asked bluntly.

"Walter," Peter said. "I'm not discussing my sex life with you."

"So you had sex?" Walter said delightedly. "Is she anyone I know?"

"Just eat your damn pancakes."


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia strode into the lab, carrying with her the file for a case.

"Hey," she greeted Peter with a smile. Peter made a small gesture of greeting with a small smile as Walter ran up.

"New case?" He asked excitedly. "Is there a body?"

"Yes, Walter," Olivia assured him, like a mother telling her child that yes there would be candy. Walter beamed and turned to Astrid, relaying instructions for her to gather certain chemicals and tools.

"So," Peter walked up from behind Olivia. "What happened? Nothing came in through Astrid's filter."

"This is almost a private case," Olivia said a bit distastefully. "I don't like it. It's like we're being lent out."

"Oh well," Peter said dismissively. "As long as we get answers, I don't care. What happened?"

"It's a case from Nina Sharp." Olivia said, handing him the file. He opened it and read it.

"A virus that spread through the entire New York branch of Massive Dynamic? Killing every employee in less than five minutes?" Peter asked, stunned.

"Yeah. And that's how long it took for the virus to spread. It takes about a minute to kill an individual." Olivia said. Peter turned, raising an eyebrow.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"There are videotapes." Olivia said emotionlessly. Peter knew that face.

"It was bad?"

"Horrible," Olivia said with a shudder. Peter glanced over at Walter and Astrid, both of whom were preoccupied with packing and not paying attention, and kissed Olivia quickly.

"We'll catch him," he assured her, and Olivia smiled.

"I know."

--

Peter sat in the front of Olivia's black van as she drove through Massachusetts to New York. Walter snored in the back seat and lights along the highway sent brief flashes of light through the car.

"Do you like baseball?" Olivia asked abruptly. Peter looked over at her, surprised.

"Baseball?" He repeated.

"Yeah, like… The Red Sox." Olivia said.

"I know what you mean. Yeah, I do." Peter said.

"Were you happy when they won the World Series?" Olivia asked, her eyes drifting from the road over to him.

"Where did this come from?" Peter asked, amused.

"Well, if we're going out, I figure we should know more about each other," Olivia explained. Peter nodded.

"Alright. Want me to go first?" He asked. Olivia hesitated, and then nodded.

"Alright."

"Okay…" Peter settled back and thought about it. He checked to see that Walter was still sleeping, then said, "My favorite teams are the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Redskins. I hate root beer and custard. My favorite foods are cheeseburgers and tiramisu. My favorite soda is Dr. Pepper, though Coke will do in a pinch. I plan to get you flowers in the near future," –At this, Olivia smiled.- "My favorite movies are Push and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. My favorite author is Stephan King. I hate math, and my favorite color is blue." Olivia smiled and nodded. "Was that enough useless information for you? Your turn?"

"Yup," Olivia laughed. "Okay, um… I don't watch sports, so I don't really have any favorite teams. I don't like yellow M&Ms or fruity alcoholic drinks, like appletinis or anything like that. My favorite foods are dove chocolate and Hawaiian pizza," –Peter made a gesture, as if he'd forgotten that. Olivia smiled and continued- "My favorite movies are Dangerous Liaisons and Saving Private Ryan. My favorite author is Stephan King. I don't like Biology or English. My favorite color is blue too." Peter nodded.

"Alright," he said. There was a few moments of comfortable silence before Peter said, "You know, there's an awesome diner in New York." Olivia smiled.

"Maybe we could catch a show?" Olivia proposed.

"NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED!" Walter sang suddenly, making Olivia jump and swerve and Peter curse thunderously.

"Walter, what the hell?!" Peter asked, looking to Olivia like a spooked cat.

"We could catch the show called Wicked!" Walter said excitedly. "It's supposed to be really good." Peter sat back, rubbing his temples.

"Maybe." He said shortly, and Olivia smiled and patted him on the shoulder as Walter settled back happily.

--

The branch of Massive Dynamic was mainly a research lab, as evidenced by the cages filled with rats and mice found by Olivia, Peter, Amy Jessup and Walter as they walked through the branch in thick white suits. The place was eerily quiet, and the bodies had been left as they had been found for Walter to look at.

The bodies scattered across the floor were of varying ages. Some were as old as Walter, some as young as Jessup. Long-time employees and interns, all laying on the cold tile floor, looking as though they were asleep, but for the pale hand, stiff with rigor mortis, clutching at their own throats and the pools of blood originating from their mouths.

Walter kneeled and looked at the blood. "Bright red," he noted quietly. "Probably originated from the lungs. We'll need a few bodies to be transferred to the lab, if that's alright."

"I'll see about it," Olivia said, hushed.

"Olivia, wanna know something funny?" Walter said randomly.

"Sure, Walter," Olivia said absently, looked at the ID of an employee.

"Peter has a girlfriend," Walter practically sang as he took a sample of blood from a victim. Peter sighed as Jessup looked over at him, surprised.

"Really? You have a girlfriend?" She asked, surprised. Peter smiled.

"You sound surprised." He said.

"Well, you just don't seem like the type, I guess," the young woman said awkwardly. Peter laughed.

"Oh, I'm the type," he assured her.

"Yes, if you take the dress on his floor into account." Walter said slyly. Peter glared as Olivia frowned at him questioningly, pushing down the wave of irritation and jealousy. Her expression cleared when she realized it was hers.

Jessup whistled. "Nice." She giggled. "Very classy."

"Oh, the dress was quite classy," Walter assured her, much to her amusement. "Long and red, no sleeves. It was very pretty." Peter glanced over at Olivia, whose expression was a curious mix of mortification and amusement.

"Hey," Jessup said, stopping. "Do you guys hear something?" They all halted, listening. A low, deep growl echoed through the hall, and suddenly a huge dog leapt through an open door off to the side and tackled Peter, foamy jaws snapping.

Jessup shrieked in surprise and Walter froze, horrified. Olivia drew her weapon and shot, twice. The dog flopped over, dead, and Peter sat up, panting, pale and stunned.

"Are you alright?" Olivia asked. Peter nodded mutely, still trying to collect himself.

"From the research laboratories," Walter explained shakily. "The virus must only effect humans."

"Oh god, Peter," Jessup whispered, walking over to him and kneeling next to him. For a moment, Olivia thought she was going to hug him (and felt an overwhelming urge to shoot the young woman then and there), but instead, Jessup pointed quietly towards something the others, in the dark and surprise, hadn't seen.

A rip in Peter's suit, just at the neck seam.

"Oh god." Olivia whispered as Peter's hand moved up to touch the jagged rip left by the dog's jaws. "Oh god."


	4. Chapter 4

"You should be dead right now, Peter." Walter said emotionlessly in the lab later, checking Peter's vitals and pupil response. "The videos Agent Dunham watched made the time between catching the virus and the time of death to be one minute at the most."

"But here I am," Peter said dryly.

"Yes," Walter said with a nod. "Here you are."

"But by the grace of God," Jessup muttered to herself, her hand going to a crucifix around her neck. Peter smiled.

"Were you praying for me?" He asked half-jokingly. Jessup nodded seriously.

"The whole way here," she said. Peter looked touched, but Walter brushed it off.

"God had nothing to do with it," he said brusquely, so much so that Astrid turned and gave him a sharp look. "I'm sure of it." Jessup frowned, but mercifully said nothing.

Olivia stood off to the side, pale and tense. "I don't care if it was God or the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the Invisible Unicorn," she said. Peter grinned, and even Jessup giggled, regardless of the sharpness in Olivia's tone. "Why is Peter immune?"

"Oh, he's not immune." Walter said quickly. "At least, not as far as I can tell. It appears that the virus is merely moving at a considerably slower rate. I suppose you could say a more normal rate, since the virus moved incredibly fast in Massive Dynamic."

"How long do I have?" Peter asked quietly. Walter floundered.

"I don't know. I don't know enough about the virus to say. You're not contagious. Not yet, anyway. But you are certainly housing the virus." Peter nodded mutely, his jaw clenched.

"I'm going to find this son of a bitch," Olivia snarled. "I'm going to find him and I'm going to beat the cure out of him."

"Until then, I'll try to find out more about this virus and then a cure, should your attempts prove futile." Walter said, a bit tactlessly. Olivia glared at him, not amused. Peter chuckled, then coughed in a long, painful burst. Walter's hand went to his son's shoulder, which Peter shrugged off dismissively.

"I'm fine," he said. "Olivia, where did the virus originate from? Where in the building?" Olivia thought about it.

"I think they said it was the top floor," she said. "Based on the timing of the security tapes."

"Then you could watch the tapes from the top floor and pinpoint where the virus was set off," Peter suggested. "And then you could find the person who made it. Or the person who set it out at least." Olivia beamed.

"Even when you're half dead, you're a genius," she said cheerfully, hope restored. She went over and gave him a hug, sneaking in a kiss on the cheek.

"Be safe," Peter whispered. Olivia tightened her hug for a moment, then drew away.

"I'm off."

--

Olivia sat in the security room of the Philadelphia branch of MD, watching the security tapes from the New York branch. Nina Sharp had moved her office here, and allowed Olivia any help she could provide. In this case, it was a few bags of barbecue chips, a 24 pack of Diet Dr Pepper, and a private room to watch the video footage from the top floor. The New York branch was huge, and each floor covered an enormous amount of square footage. The fact that Olivia had opted to look for herself was another thing that made this task seem very tedious, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Over and over, Olivia watched people begin to cough harder and harder until they began coughing blood, collapsed, and then were simply too weak to breathe. She realized that this was what was going to happen to Peter, simply in fast forward, and felt a chill dampen her heart.

After a few hours of watching and re-watching the videotapes, she finally caught it.

The video focused on her only briefly, but it was enough. Among the writhing Massive Dynamic employees, a small, dark haired woman strode across the floor. The picture wasn't good enough for a face recognition test, so Olivia had to watch most of the videos again before she was certain she had a good enough image to run. She printed the image, giddy with triumph, then stopped to take a look at it.

The woman was about her age, with dark hair and what seemed like dark eyes, though the picture was black and white. She was attractive, though almost frail. From the other clips, she'd gotten a vague picture of her height and build. She was about Jessup's height, and thin enough to seem frail. In a way, she seemed almost princess-like, with waist-length black hair and a small, girlish face.

Hard to believe she was the killer of an entire building of people.

Nina Sharp caught her before she got out of the building.

"Agent Dunham, I hope you've found the culprit?" She asked pointedly. Olivia handed her the photo. "Have you seen this woman before?" Nina looked at the photo closely.

"No, though she seems familiar. I'm sure that she doesn't work for us, though. It's something else." Olivia nodded. She'd honestly had the same déjà vu. "You're going to run this through and find out her identity?"

"That's right," Olivia said, taking back the photo. "If you remember what strikes you about her, call me."

"Of course." Nina agreed. She hesitated, then said, "I heard about Peter." Olivia tensed. "He's well for the moment?"

"Yes," Olivia said carefully. "Last I saw him."

"Good," Nina said. "Tell him I'm praying for him." Prayer. Jessup was praying for him. Nina was praying for him. But what was prayer? Just an excuse not to do anything direct.

"Of course," Olivia said. She bid Nina farewell and left, determined to find the mystery woman and get Peter a cure.

But as she approached her car, something struck her hard.

Why didn't the woman die?

--

Peter took deep measured breaths, trying to get past the strange heaviness in his chest. Walter had been constantly walking up to him, asking if he was okay. Peter had constantly brushed him off, selfishly hoping to hurt his father enough into leaving him alone.

But just when that wish seemed possible, he hoped that Walter would once again ignore his brusqueness and ask him if he was okay. Because he wasn't.

His measured breaths became out of control. He began to panic, fear gripping him as his legs began to feel as though they'd carried him a mile and a half.

"Peter?" Astrid's voice came from great distance, almost echoing. He didn't answer, opting to concentrate on breathing. "Peter?" Again, she called his name, a bit more panicked. The papers in front of him, taken from the file of the case, began to swim and his stomach cramped painfully, along with his chest. His legs gave way underneath him, and he felt his knees hit the floor and heard a high wheezing sound. He realized with a thrill of horror that it came from his lungs. "Walter!"

--

"Walter!" Astrid screamed. Walter turned from his microscope to see his son clutching the table, on his knees, attempting almost futilely to breathe. He ran over, a certain professional coolness taking over.

"Astro, help me get him over to the couch," he said, grabbing Peter's arm and pulling it across his shoulders. Astrid followed his lead, and they half-carried, half-dragged him across the room to the couch.

As they placed him onto the couch, Astrid gasped and backed up swiftly.

"What?" Walter snapped angrily.

"He's… Is he contagious now?" Astrid asked, fear written all over her face. Walter turned to look at his son, struggling to breathe, and sighed.

"I don't know," he said weakly. But he stood and took Astrid's arm and strode out of the room, steeling himself to call Olivia about this awful development.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia stood behind the operator of the face recognition machine, watching hundreds of faces pass every moment. She'd been watching for several minutes, after receiving a text from Astrid that something terrible had happened. She'd sped to the FBI HQ and given the picture over in a heartbeat. While the facial recognition hadn't had any hits yet, she was sure that it would soon.

Broyles came up from behind her silently. "Have we received any word about Bishop and his condition?" He asked quietly.

"I got a text from Astrid saying something bad happened. I think she's on her way to explain." Olivia replied, still watching the flashes of faces play across the computer screen next to the black and white photo of the mystery woman.

"Is this our killer?" Broyles asked.

"Yeah," she said, this time sparing him a glance. "This has been going for longer than usual." Broyles shrugged.

"We're usually lucky. This is normal." Broyles said. As he said that, Astrid and Walter came in, looking pale.

"Walter? Who's staying with Peter?" Olivia asked, turning from the computer, shocked.

"No one," Astrid said. "He started showing symptoms and Walter thought it would be better to leave. To be safe."

"He's there by himself?!" Olivia asked in horror.

"We're lucky we got out of there with our lives, Agent Dunham!" Walter said. "I assure you, it was not my first choice to leave my own son behind!" Olivia bit back a reply as the computer screen flashed and the operator grabbed Olivia's sleeve to get her attention.

"We've got something," she said, pointing at the screen. "The woman is a Miss Alyssa Weiss. Thirty years old, born in Jacksonville Florida." Olivia frowned at the picture, which in it's clearer form made the déjà vu even clearer.

"I remember her!" Walter said fondly. "Alyssa! She was-" he stopped, his eyes widening. "I thought that virus seemed familiar." Olivia rolled her eyes in irritated exasperation.

"Walter, I've had it up to here with these cases coming back to you!" She snapped.

"No, no! I didn't make the virus!" Walter said. "Though wouldn't that be interesting? No, the virus had a similar chemical make up to Cortexiphan. I recall Alyssa being part of the trails. Perhaps the Cortexiphan is what gives Alyssa her immunity to the virus. Perhaps…" he stopped, considering his word. "This is just a wild guess, but perhaps the virus was built around the Cortexiphan, specifically to give Miss Weiss her immunity." Olivia considered that.

"If you injected yourself with Cortexiphan, could you stay with Peter?" She asked.

"I suppose," Walter said gently, with relief. "Astrid, I hope you don't dislike needles. And I suppose I should call up Jessup too. Of course…" he sighed. "I don't have any Cortexiphan."

"Massive Dynamic is required to keep samples of any drug they perform trials with," Broyles said. "I'll call Nina up and get some of it." He turned and started towards his office.

"Hurry," Walter called after him, and Broyles humored him by walking slightly faster.

"What happened to Peter?" Olivia asked, his condition more important to her right now.

"He started coughing. It didn't seem like he could breathe," Astrid said, shuddering. "We got him onto the couch before we left. He didn't look good." She squirmed. "I feel awful. I wish we could get that drug faster." Olivia nodded, then turned to the office agents.

"I'm going to go check on him. What's the address of Alyssa Weiss?"

"236 Washington St. Cambrige." She said, and Olivia sped out.

"Get back to Peter as soon as you get that drug, Walter!" She said. Walter nodded, then went back to the espresso machine.

"I think I know her little secret," he sang softly. Astrid frowned.

"What are you talking about?" She asked slowly. Walter smiled slightly.

"Nothing, Astrisks."

--

Olivia crept into the lab, which was eerily silent but for strained, painful wheezes that echoed through it, and the rhythmic crunch of Gene chewing hay. Olivia went over to Peter, who was lying on the couch, clutching the cushions and breathing in desperate gasps. Olivia cupped his cheek gently, and Peter's eyes opened weakly.

"Livvy," he said with a weak smile. "Look at you, flirting with death." Olivia smiled.

"It's a long story, but I'll be fine, Sweetheart."

"Aww. Sweetheart." Peter croaked out a laugh. "I could get used to that." Olivia laughed.

"When we get out of this, I'll make a point of calling you that more often," she said. Peter smiled, then coughed painfully. Olivia crouched down and pressed her forehead against his chest, feeling the coughs rack through his body helplessly. After they finally ended, he seemed too weak to even lift his head. He managed, with some effort, to put a hand on Olivia's head and stroke her hair.

"When I get out of this," he said softly. "I'm going to eat a cheeseburger." Olivia started laughing. "What? I'm serious. One big, juicy cheeseburger." Olivia laughed and laughed, clutching at his shirt to keep from falling over. "And if I don't…" Olivia stopped, her jaw clenching. "I want to you eat one for me."

"Peter," she started, but Walter and Astrid coming in cut her off.

"Nina brought them herself," Walter said cheerfully. "Wonderful woman! She couldn't have been faster." Olivia stood swiftly and smiled.

"Good, now I'm going to go see about this Alyssa Weiss," she said. She turned to Peter. "She's the one who set the virus." Peter nodded, his eyes sliding closed.

"That's nice," he said sleepily. Olivia smiled.

"She could have the cure for this virus," she said gently, and Peter shoved her playfully.

"Then get moving, Princess Badass of Badassia." He said. Olivia laughed and took a blanket from Walter, covering Peter with it.

"Hang on, okay?" She said softly. "I'll be back. Peter nodded, closing his eyes and drifting into a fitful sleep.

--

Olivia didn't tell people she was going to the apartment. She wanted to be alone with this woman, not just because there was the possibility of negotiation, but also because, in a twisted way, they were comrades. Both had been subjected to experiments as children, and, like with Nick Lane, she wanted to meet this person herself.

The house was reminiscent of Peter's, beige with brown trim and large windows. She strode up to the door and, after a bit of hesitation, knocked. There was no answer, and no movement from inside. Again, Olivia knocked, harder this time. Again, there was no sound from the other side of the door, and no answer. Anger taking over, she drew her gun, kicked the door down, and pointed the gun through the doorway. Peter called her "Princess Badass" came back into her brain briefly, but she disregarded it.

The place was barren, but not in a way that would suggest no one lived there. Just that no one had been there for a while. There was a light sprinkle of dust over the counter tops and wooden coffee tables, and the answering machine blinked in the corner. Olivia watched the red light flicker, then decided that it was better than nothing. Pulling her sleeve over her hand, she pressed the play button.

"Hey, Alyssa! It's Jess. You need to call me, you'll never guess what happened!"

"Alyssa? It's Jess again. I'm getting worried. Why weren't you at work today? Did something happen?"

"Alyssa, I'm sorry if I'm clogging your answering machine, but I'm going to call Sam if you don't answer." Olivia frowned. Who was Sam?

"Alyssa Weiss? This is Jim Papperman. I'm sorry, but you've missed too many days of work. I'm afraid I'm going to have to fire you. You need to come and pick up your things."

"Alyssa? It's Sam." Olivia frowned, knowing that she'd heard that voice before. The distinctive sound of a bowling alley came from the background of the message. "Jessie's getting worried, and I heard you got fired. Look, I've told you over and over again to tell me what's happening, or call the number on the card I gave you. Nina can help." Olivia realized the person on the other side of the phone with a feeling of cold horror as he continued. "Alyssa… You can trust me. I'm your brother. Please, at least try to talk to me."

"End of messages." The robotic voice said coolly as Olivia sat down heavily on Alyssa's couch.

The woman who had brought about the death of hundreds of Massive Dynamic employees and possibly Peter as well was Sam Weiss' sister.


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia walked into the small bowling alley, looking for Sam. She saw him behind the counter, talking on the phone. He saw her, muttered something into the mouthpiece, and hung up, turning to her with a rather tense smile.

"Olivia! Nice to see you, but you came a bit early; we're still open. Or maybe," he grinned. "You want to play a round? I'd be happy to find you a bowling ball."

"Mr. Weiss, what can you tell me about your sister, Alyssa?" Olivia asked shortly. Sam froze.

"Why do you ask? What does she have to do with this?" He asked slowly.

"A day or so ago, a Massive Dynamic branch in New York was attacked with a virus that killed the entire building in about five minutes," Olivia said crisply, watching his expression. He went pale with horror.

"Was Nina there?" He asked sharply. Olivia shook her head.

"No, she had been in a different country on business. The point is, however, that when we looked through the tapes, and we found your sister in the building, unharmed." Sam's jaw clenched, and he turned away from her. "Do you know why she would be there? Based on the passage of the virus, we have reason to believe that she was the one that let the virus loose."

"No," Sam said sharply. "She couldn't have."

"Sam, I need to know where she is," Olivia said, leaning against the counter as if it was a table in an interrogation room. "Based on the evidence, she killed nearly a hundred people." Sam shook his head slowly, tense. "Sam, if you don't help me, you're under arrest for obstruction of justice." Sam sighed, holding his head in his hands. Olivia wished she didn't have to push all this on him, but there was no one else.

"I don't know where she is," he said quietly. "I've been calling her phone and cell for weeks and she won't answer. I'm getting really worried. I was about to go look for her." Olivia nodded.

"I went into her house. Checked her messages. You mentioned that she needed help with something that Nina Sharp could help with. And I know she was treated with Cortexiphan." Sam looked up, surprised.

"Really?" He asked, shocked. Olivia nodded grimly, and he sighed. "She's had her… I don't know what you'd call them…"

"Ability?" Olivia supplied. Sam nodded.

"Alright. Ability. She's had her ability since she was little. The layman's term is telekinesis, but the technical term is psychokinesis. The ability to move things with her mind. Nina described it as the ability to… hear and identify the specific atomic frequency of any given material and alter the gravity wave around it." He said this in a deadpan sort of way, like a foreigner rattling off something they memorized, but didn't understand. "She said Alyssa could stop bullets with the right training. That's what I wanted her to do. I wanted Alyssa to go to Nina and get that training. She refused though. When she wouldn't return my phonecalls, I thought she'd just gotten sick of me bugging her, or maybe that she was getting the training. But Nina said she'd never shown up."

"Is it possible," Olivia said carefully. "That Nina lied?" Sam looked up sharply, glaring.

"No." He said simply. "It's not." Olivia nodded.

"Alright. And you don't have any idea where she could be?" Olivia asked. Sam sighed and shook his head.

"No. But… Olivia…" He looked at her pleadingly. "She's not a bad kid. Don't hurt her. But be careful. She's been using her ability for a long time. Self-taught, as it were." Olivia nodded.

"Thanks, Sam. I promise I'll do my best not to hurt her." She said. Sam nodded wearily.

"Come back soon, Olivia."

--

Olivia walked back into the lab, irritation deep in her veins.

"Walter, could you think of some outlandish way to track down a psychokinetic ex-patient of yours?" She asked the old man angrily. Walter looked surprised, then snapped his fingers.

"That's right. Alyssa was psychokinetic. An amazing ability, a thing to behold. If she threw a tantrum, a chair would fly across the room or the bed would flip over. It was like having a poltergeist."

"How's Peter?" Olivia asked Astrid quietly, leaving Walter to babble on to himself fondly.

"Not good," Astrid said grimly. "He's got a fever now, and he's too weak to talk." Olivia felt a sharp pang of grief in her stomach. She walked over to the couch and knelt next to Peter, who was clearly struggling to breathe. She glanced over at Astrid, who'd respectfully turned away, and leaned over next to Peter's ear.

"Just hang on, Sweetheart, okay? I'm close. I'm so close. You just have to hang on a bit longer." She reached over and clutched his hand tightly, hoping for some response. There was none. Choking back a sob, she stood, turning to look at Walter in time to hear him say, "I remember Olive and Nick always playing with Ethan and Alyssa. They were good friends. Ethan had such an interesting ability; can't quite remember what it was though… something to do with-"

"Walter!" Olivia said sharply. "Did you say Nick and I used to play with Alyssa?" Walter was startled out of his reverie.

"Yes," he stammered. "It was my idea. To see if the bonds between the children could be strong not only between the pairs, but between two pairs."

"So… Nick was able to contact me between our bond," Olivia said slowly. "Maybe he could do the same with Alyssa?"

"Or Ethan," Walter said. "Ethan was her partner. I can't quite remember his power though… But yes. I recall that Nick was more open. He connected more. You were stronger, and thus more closed off. Nick needed more comfort…" Walter sort of gazed off into the distance, heedless to the fact that Olivia was staring at him.

"So… Me, Nick Lane, Alyssa Weiss and a man named Ethan?" She prompted. "Those are who you remember right now." Walter blinked.

"Yes." He said. "If I remember anyone else-"

"You call me," she said firmly. "I'm going to go wake up Nick Lane."

--

"You're sure about this?" Broyles asked as they watched Nick sleep through the window of the isolation booth. "Last time he was awake, he killed four people."

"I'm sure," Olivia said. Broyles nodded, and a nurse walked into the room, injecting Nick with something that would wake him up. "You should go, Sir. I'm immune to his power, but you're not. Who knows how he'll feel when he wakes up?" Broyles hesitated, then nodded.

"Alright. Be careful, Dunham." Olivia nodded, not looking away from Nick as Broyles and the nurse walked out down the hall and out of the building.

She stood, arms crossed, waiting. As she did, doubts began seeping into her thoughts. What if Nick couldn't help? What if, if he could, they were too late, and Peter…

She willed herself not to think about such things as Nick's eyelids fluttered. She hurried into the room just his eyes opened. He stared at her, sadness in his eyes.

"You woke me up," he said glumly. "Why did you do that, Olive?"

"Nick, I need your help." Olivia said, sitting down next to his bed as he sat up, clutching his head.

"I can't help you," he said unsteadily. "I can't help anyone."

"Yes you can!" Olivia said desperately. "Please, Nicky, I need your help. You're the only one that can help!" Nick looked over at her, surprised, then smiled.

"You do remember," he said softly. "You called me Nicky back then." Olivia was surprised at herself, but continued, not acknowledging the development.

"You remember the Cortexiphan trials, right?" She asked. Now that she'd called him Nicky, he seemed more cheerful. He pivoted, sitting on the bed and watching her, and nodded.

"Of course," he said. "You know that."

"Do you remember Alyssa? Or Ethan?" She asked. Nick smiled fondly.

"Ethan and Lyssie? Yeah. Lyssie was a bit scary. Always throwing fits about the pills. But Ethan was funny. He made things different." Olivia frowned.

"'Different'? What do you mean, different?" She asked. Nick shrugged.

"He made the pills look like candy for Lyssie. Sometimes for me and you too, but mostly Lyssie." Nick said.

"He made illusions?" Olivia asked.

"I guess. He once played a prank on the scientists. He made Willam's ID look like Bishop's and Bishop's look like Willam's. They went back to normal after a few hours." Nick explained. Olivia nodded.

"Nicky, would you be able to find Ethan or Alyssa for me? Preferably Alyssa?" She asked. Nick frowned.

"Why, Olive?" He asked.

"Alyssa did something very bad," Olivia explained. "She let loose a virus that killed nearly a hundred people. It also infected my… friend, Peter." She felt as though she was betraying Peter by describing him as her friend. After all, it was more than that, wasn't it? She froze, realizing that she'd stopped talking, and looked up to see Nick watching her closely.

"You love Peter, don't you?" He asked quietly. Olivia bit her lip, and he nodded, smiling. "I'll help. I can find Ethan, and he can find Alyssa the same way you found me." He then became serious. "But I'm only doing this for you, Olive. Once this is over, you have to put me back under, okay?"

"Nick," Olivia started, but Nick cut her off.

"Promise me, Olive." Olivia hesitated, then nodded in assent.

"I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

"Sometimes, when I got lonely, I looked up the other Soldiers. The other Recruits." Nick said, sitting in the lab with Olivia, Astrid and Walter. "I found Ethan a while ago. I told him about us. About the Manifesto and our… fate, I suppose you could call it." He smiled slightly. "He didn't know, but he understood. He already could control his ability. He was using it a lot. He was really good at it. He could control it." He laughed a little, in a self-depreciating way. "Not like me."

"Not like me either, Nicky," Olivia said gently. "Go on."

"It was a long time ago. Before I was put into St. Jude's. But he lived in Hong Kong." Olivia blinked in shock.

"Hong Kong? You went all the way to Hong Kong?" She asked. Nick smiled.

"Of course. Wouldn't you?" He asked pointedly. She frowned, then nodded.

"What's his last name?" She asked.

"Call," Nick answered. "Ethan Call. And I'm coming with you." Olivia smiled.

"I figured. I wasn't going to wake you up and then put you back under after only an hour." Nick smiled slightly, then looked around Astrid at Peter, who slept fitfully on the couch. "Could I…?" Olivia frowned in confusion, but nodded.

"I'll go ask Broyles to look for Ethan Call." She said. Nick nodded, then went over to Peter. As he crouched next to him, Peter opened his eyes.

"Oh, hey Nick," he rasped. "You look good."

"You don't," Nick said dryly, and Peter smiled.

"Yeah…"

"Look, Peter right?" Peter nodded. "I know about you and Olive." Peter shook his head and jerked it in the direction of Astrid and Walter, who blissfully hadn't been listening. "Oh… It's a secret?" Peter nodded. "Okay. Well, I know, because I know Olive. And listen. If we get out of this. If you ever hurt her in anyway, I will hunt you down," he looked into Peter's eyes. "And kill you."

There was a silent moment, and then Peter, unbelievably, started to giggle. He collapsed into fits of laughter that even the fits of coughs they caused didn't stop. Nick was extremely affronted, to the point that he barely reigned in the emotion before it seeped into anyone else.

"I mean it!" He snapped. "I will!" Peter only laughed harder, to the point that he was able to sit up and clap Nick on the shoulder.

"Oh geez," he giggled. "Laughter is the best medicene. Oh, thanks man."

"I was being serious." Nick muttered sullenly, and Peter looked up, grinning wanly.

"I know. I'm gonna count on you for that, Nick," he clapped him on the shoulder again. "So you better not screw that up, okay?" Nick blinked in surprise as Peter settled back down onto the couch and flung his arm over his eyes.

"Right…" Nick said blankly, standing. "You're crazy." Peter looked really close to laughing again, but managed to get control of himself. "I thought I'd gotten away from the mad people." Peter looked out from underneath his arm and grinned fiercely.

"Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here."

--

Cars zoomed down the cramped streets of Hong Kong, and people shouted the sharp tongue of Cantonese across the loud rush of the city. Olivia and Nick walked determinedly through this, both unable to speak Cantonese. Olivia couldn't help but wonder if Peter would have been able to speak Cantonese. He had, after all, traveled extensively. Perhaps he, like this Ethan Call, had been an expatriate to Hong Kong many years ago, after Amsterdam or Tokyo or Baghdad.

They approached what appeared to be a strip club, or a fancy escort service, with a neon sign of a woman in a martini glass. They shared a half-amused, half-awkward look. Olivia attempted to recall that she'd shared minds with him during sex, but it failed to make this any less awkward. In fact, it made it worse, to the point that she wondered why she'd even thought it up.

To his credit, Nick was remarkably calm as they walked in. The place was large, with wine-red carpets and plush chairs around dark, shiny table-tops. Scattered around the room were see-through tubes with scantily clad women dancing in them. Olivia glanced over at Nick, who was looking determinedly at anything but the tube women. Olivia laughed softly and shook her head, looking for Ethan. The place was full of Chinese men, mostly older, wealthier looking ones, sitting with younger women, sometimes doing more. A young American shouldn't be too difficult to find.

"One of these things just doesn't belong here," Nick sang in a rather serious tone, making Olivia grin as he pointed out a young man sitting at a table, drinking shots. Olivia nodded and walked towards him, Nick close behind.

The man looked a bit like Nick, but he reminded her more of Peter. He had thick brown hair and a short beard, with large blue eyes and an extremely handsome face. He wore black pants, a white shirt, and a black jacket. The way he held himself reminded her terribly of Peter, and when he glanced at her, she had to stop herself from smiling vapidly at him.

"Hey, I remember you," he said, his eyes going to Nick. "You're… uh…" he snapped his fingers. "Don't tell me. Nick!" He pointed at him in triumph. "Right, the… Recruit." He smiled at Olivia. "Who's your friend?"

"Agent Olivia Dunham," Olivia said shortly. "I have a few questions to ask you." Ethan frowned, then gestured for them to sit. They sat across from him as a pretty Chinese waitress walked up.

"Uh, a scotch please," Ethan said. "You two want something?"

"Just a coke," Nick said with a smile.

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks," Olivia said. The waitress nodded and made to leave, but Ethan stopped her.

"Can I pay now? I don't want to skip out on accident, and with this crew, I may have to leave in a hurry." He said charmingly. The waitress nodded, and Ethan reached into his wallet. Olivia watched him pull out a piece of paper crudely mimicking an expensive bill. He flipped the piece of paper casually over his fingers, and when he gave it to her, it was a piece of expensive paper money. "Keep the change." The waitress beamed and skipped off, a hop in her step.

"How did you do that?" Olivia asked. "You made that piece of paper look like a bill."

"Once, I looked it up," Ethan said, tucking the wallet back into his coat pocket. "Some guy wrote a paper on it. I can control the way light hits things and change their appearance and texture for hours at a time." He grinned. "I assume you're another… Recruit?"

"You're the Guardian," Olivia remembered Bell saying. She wondered whether she should tell Nick, but decided that now wasn't the best time.

"Yes," Olivia said.

"What's your ability?" He asked conversationally. Olivia smiled, but didn't answer. "Okay, Snow Queen. What do you need?"

"What do you remember of the Cortexiphan trials?" She asked bluntly. Ethan's jaw clenched, and he leaned forward, pressing his fingers into a steeple as the waitress placed their drinks in front of them.

"Bits and pieces." He said shortly. "Like any other childhood memory, you know?" Olivia nodded. "Why?"

"Do you remember a girl by the name of Alyssa Weiss?" She asked. Ethan considered it.

"Dark hair, big eyes, didn't like pills?" He asked. Nick nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"We need to find her. And our scientist has a theory that you and Alyssa may have created a bond, without knowing it, that was strengthened by the Cortexiphan to the point that you could find Alyssa." Olivia explained quickly. Ethan thought about it.

"So you want me to go back to America so I can go through experiments to find a crazy girl?" Ethan asked. Olivia nodded. "And what would I get for it?" Olivia considered it.

"Well… My specific division deals with crimes committed by strange circumstances. If you help, I won't arrest you for fraud." She nodded towards his wallet. "I doubt you have much real money in there, and my boss understands Fringe Science enough to believe my story." Ethan looked at his scotch and sighed.

"Plus," Nick put in. "Answers." Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Answers…" he said softly. He then sighed. "Fine. I'll come."


	8. Chapter 8

Ethan laid down on the table in Walter's Harvard laboratory as Nick and Olivia stood by.

"So, what's this going to do?" He asked Walter as the old man bustled about, getting things ready.

"During our experiments, Belly and I would put the children into pairs. Nick Lane and Miss Dunham are one of those pairs. You and Alyssa Weiss are another." Walter explained.

"Wow," Ethan said dryly. "You really must be something to have those two hanging around you after learning you experimented on them. I have half a mind to leave right now, but your kid tugs my heartstrings."

"Shut up," Peter called weakly. Ethan smirked.

"Erm, yes…" Walter said quietly. "I often wonder myself. But anyway, the drug you and Alyssa were given, Cortexiphan, allows you to mold reality as you see fit. It deals with feelings, perceptions." Ethan nodded. "The drug dealt with the mind, so the bond that would have formed between you and Alyssa under normal circumstances would have been greatly intensified by the Cortexiphan, to the point of an almost telepathic or empathic link." Ethan nodded again, slower this time.

"Would it be in dreams, sometimes?" He asked casually, an undertow of tension in his voice.

"That's how I found Nick," Olivia answered. "Dreams. Our link gave me abstract dreams about where he was and what he was doing."

"I've been having dreams," Ethan said slowly. "But they're dreams, so I can't really remember them. But I remember being in New York. In a big building."

"Was the building shaped like an M?" Peter asked weakly from across the room.

"Maybe," Ethan yawned, settling back as the lights began to flicker from the machine Walter set up. "I was inside it. And there were people…" he sighed. "It was a nightmare. Like a horror movie." Olivia looked over at Peter, at his chest, which moved barely a fraction of an inch up and down, each breath sounding thin and hollow, like a gasp for life. She felt a warm touch at her hand, and look down to see Nick's closed over hers, comfortingly. She smiled and tightened her grip on his hand, watching Ethan doze, the lights flickering across his face.

"Ethan?" Walter said quietly. "What do you see?"

"Hotel," he mumbled. "A room. I… She? She's looking at her cell phone. Lots of missed calls. She's picking up a bag, going through it. Inside is a case."

"Can you describe it?" Olivia asked softly.

"Black," Ethan supplied groggily. "Shiny plastic. I could probably fake that later." Olivia nodded. "She's opening it. There are two things, a vial that looks empty and a syringe with red stuff in it. She puts the case back into the bag and walks out of the room with it. With the bag."

"This is a lot clearer than when Olivia was under," Astrid whispered to Walter.

"Different people, different bonds," Walter said dismissively. "Just like memory, everyone's clarity is different." Olivia nodded and Nick leaned back against the table and crossed his arms.

"I… She's going somewhere. She thinks she's going to meet someone this time; last time it didn't work."

"What didn't work?" Nick asked, and Olivia smiled slightly. He was participating.

"I don't know…" Ethan said softly. "But she's going somewhere. I… Ah. I can see a building."

"What?" Olivia asked sharply.

"Old North Church. She's in Boston, but she's not staying. She's heading for the airport." Olivia and Nick straightened.

"Which airport?" Nick asked.

"Logan International," Olivia said before Ethan could say anything. "That's the only one around here. Let's go."

"Wait," Ethan said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Damn, my head hurts. Remind me not to let you experiment on me again, Bishop." Walter smiled sheepishly as Ethan hopped down off the table. "Miss, you wouldn't happen to have a case roughly this big?" He measured something about a foot long and a hands width wide with his hands, smiling charmingly at Astrid. Astrid grinned and fished out a leather case that was about that size. "Perfect." He leveled his hand parallel to the case and closed his eyes. The assembled people blinked, and then the brown leather case was a shiny black plastic one with a plastic handle. "There. That's the case."

"That's fantastic!" Walter said in awe, winning himself a grin from Ethan.

"Thanks. I've been practicing. Oh, and I'm going with you two." Before Nick or Olivia could say anything, he took out his wallet and, with a flick of his wrist, made his Drivers License become a FBI ID. He grinned roguishly at Olivia's affronted look and said, "It'll be just like old times."

--

It was late, and the only people in the airport were the ones leaving or boarding red-eye flights. Ethan, Nick and Olivia strode in, looking around for a small, dark-haired woman with a black case.

"There!" Ethan said sharply, pointing. Alyssa stood in line for a ticket, calm as you please.

"Alyssa Weiss!" Olivia Dunham snapped, drawing her weapon. "Put down the case and put your hands up." Nick and Ethan scrambled back as Olivia became all business.

"Nice girlfriend," Ethan said dryly to Nick. Nick glared at him.

"Olive's not my girlfriend. Shut up," he said irritably.

In the line, people scrambled for cover as Alyssa turned silently to stare at Olivia.

"Hello, Olive, Nick, Ethan," she said softly. "I've been wanted to meet you for awhile."

"There's a thing called a telephone," Ethan pointed out. "It's a fairly well-known contraption." Alyssa grinned and opened the case, pulling out the two glass objects within.

"Here's the deal," she said sweetly. "I've got the virus," she held the delicate glass vial between to fingers. "And the cure." She held a sleek steel and glass syringe filled with a cherry red liquid in the other. "If you let me go, I'll give you the cure. I know Peter needs it."

"No, Olivia," Ethan said slowly. "Don't do it." Olivia hesitated.

"If you shoot me, both of these drop and break," Alyssa pointed out. "The cure would be useless then, and Peter would die, along with everyone in this building." Olivia's heart went cold.

"Olive…" Nick said softly, his concern and fear unknowingly seeping into others, causing a hopeless, helpless feeling in each person around him.

"Why should I believe you?" Olivia asked, paying no attention to the people around her.

"Would I lie to you?" Alyssa asked. "Just let out the clip, or put down the gun, and I'll give you this syringe." Olivia hesitated, and almost glanced at Ethan and Nick. Then, making her decision, she let the clip in her gun fall to the floor.

"Wise choice," Alyssa said, tossing her the syringe. Olivia dove to catch it, barely managing to do so, before Alyssa dropped the vial of the virus and ran.

"Everyone, get out of here!" Ethan snapped, taking over. "NOW!" Women grabbed their sleeping children and men ran. A few were overtaken, but the majority managed to run out of the glass doors.

"Olive, come on!" Nick said, running up and grabbing Olivia's arm, helping her to her feet.

"I'm going to catch her," she said angrily. "I'm going to kill her. But first," she gripped the syringe tightly. "I'm going to save my boyfriend."


	9. Chapter 9

Peter sat on the couch, sipping water and listening to Nick, Olivia and Ethan retell the story.

"I can't believe I let her go," Olivia snarled. "I'm going to find her, kill her… Then give her to you Walter, have you bring her back, and then kill her again."

"That would be a bit redundant, wouldn't it?" Walter asked blankly. Ethan snorted in amusement.

"So, we found her, we lost her. Can I go now?" He asked pointedly. Olivia turned and looked at him.

"Not only do you have a highly dangerous ability that allows you to impersonate an FBI agent with the flick of a wrist, you also are the only person who we know for a fact to be able to find Alyssa Weiss, a bioterrorist with psychokinesis," she said simply. Ethan blinked.

"Is that a no?" He asked slowly, his eyes narrowing. Olivia glared, then sighed.

"Just do me a favor and stay in the area, okay?" She said, defeated. Ethan watched her for a moment, glanced around at the lab, and sighed.

"Fine. I've got an apartment here. Look me up if you need me," Ethan said. Olivia nodded and smiled gratefully.

They watched Ethan leave with a little wave, then Olivia turned to Nick.

"I suppose you want to go back under?" She asked a bit gloomily. Nick glanced at Peter.

"Can I talk to you about that out in the hall, Olive?" He asked. Olivia nodded, and they left the room, closing the door quietly behind them. Walter turned to Peter.

"I bet he's going to kiss her," he said sagely. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? I'd be a matchmaker!" Peter wasn't amused.

"Shut up, Walter.

Nick and Olivia stood in the deserted hall, and Olivia realized how similarly they were dressed. They couldn't have had any influence over each others dressing style, yet both wore black coats over gray shirts, with black pants and black shoes. Olivia realized that Peter wore those same clothes, more often than not, but pushed that out of her mind when Nick began to speak.

"I want to stay awake." He said simply.

"Really?" Olivia asked, surprised and happy. "That's great!"

"Yeah?" Nick asked, obviously relieved.

"Yeah! Would you want to work with us?" She asked excitedly, surprising herself with how happy this made her.

"That's what I was thinking," the scarred man said with a smile. "But there was something else… Something I figured would be easier to find awake."

"What?" Olivia asked.

"The truth." Nick said simply. "Right now, nothing would make me happier than to have the truth." Olivia stared at him.

"We're even more alike than I thought," she said with a short laugh. "It's a bit surprising." Nick smiled.

"I know about you and Peter," he reminded her. "You've got a boyfriend. You just need… a brother, I guess." He looked awkward, and Olivia smiled.

"Okay, Big Bro," she said fondly, punching him lightly. Nick smiled, then hesitated.

"One last thing," he said. "Before we get into the whole brother/sister mindset?" Olivia smiled questioningly.

Nick leaned down and kissed her. Olivia's eyes widened as his lips pressed gently against hers, and her eyes reluctantly closed. It lasts a few silent moments, and then he drew back.

"That's all," he said with a sheepish smile. "You can smack me now." Olivia stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

"I'm not going to smack you," she said. Nick sighed with relief.

"Good. Now, um…" he coughed. "I don't have a place to stay…"

"You can stay with Peter and Walter," Olivia said readily.

--

"No." Peter said firmly. "It's bad enough with just me and Walter, Nick. You wouldn't like it. The things I've seen…" The grown man shuddered. "You couldn't handle it."

"Sure I could!" Nick said bracingly. "It'd be like Three's Company, only there's Walter and… no one's gay." He fumbled on his analogy, and Olivia cut in helpfully, leaning over to Peter so the others couldn't hear.

"If Nick's there, he can watch Walter," she said. "Which means we can go out more." Peter blinked, then smiled slowly.

"Come and knock on our door!" Walter sang happily, seeing Peter's grin and taking it as an affirmative.

"We'll be waiting for you!" Nick chirped, high-fiving Olivia.

--

"This is the apartment," Peter said, leading Nick into the home. "There's a schedule that we roughly conform to. Walter likes to take his bath at seven."

"A.M. or P.M.?" Nick asked as Walter tottered over to the fridge and took out leftover pizza.

"Both," Peter said flatly. "So I try to get up about six to take my shower."

"I get up at four thirty or five," Nick said helpfully. Peter nodded, amazed.

"Then I think you're good. Okay," he led him into the bathroom. "The pink stuff is Walter's. Don't ask me why he wanted the pink women's shampoo and conditioner, but he did, and I didn't want him throwing a tantrum in Wal-Mart." Peter said.

"I wouldn't have thrown a tantrum!" Walter argued. "I've haven't thrown a tantrum since I was seven!" Peter ignored him.

"The green stuff is mine, and you can supply your own bathroom stuff. I suggest you color-code, because apparently, only bright colors can hold Walter's attention."

"Shut up, Peter!" Walter snapped from the kitchen. Nick wasn't sure whether to laugh, or regret being shoved into this by Olive.

"The loofah is mine. I have a hard enough time getting Walter not to use it, so…"

"I won't use it," Nick assured him and Peter nodded gratefully.

"Thanks. Okay, so," he led Nick out of the bathroom and back into the main room. He gestured towards a door. "This is Walter's room. I suggest you not go in there. He snores, so be warned." Nick nodded. "And this is my room. I'm going to ask you not to go in there, but I think that speaks for itself?" Nick nodded again, laughing this time. "And you have the sofa. That's okay, right?"

"Sure," Nick said. "This is only temporary."

"Great." Peter said, relieved. "Pizza?"

"Sure." Nick said cheerfully.

"Nicolas, look! This is my pizza!" Walter said happily, holding up a slice of strange looking pizza.

"Um, what's on it?" He asked, picking out a slice of cold Hawaiian pizza.

"My medication!" The old man said cheerfully. Nick started laughing so hard he started to cry, and wondered, Is it too late to go back to sleep?


End file.
